Device for opening the discharge opening of a hydroextractor and concurrently locking the extractor



Dec. 27, 1966 F. MORETTl 3,294,317

DEVICE FOR OPENING THE DISCHARGE OPENING OF A HYDRO-EXTRACTOR ANDCONCURRENTLY LOCKING THE EXTRACTOR Filed Nov. 5, 1964 United StatesPatent DEVICE FOR (DPENING THE DISCHARGE OPEN- HNG OF A HYDROEXTRACTQRAND CQNCUR- RENTLY LUCKING THE EXTRACTUR Francesco Moretti, Terni,Italy, assignor to Uficine Meccaniche e Fonderie A. Bcsco S.p.A., Terni,Italy Filed Nov. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 408,618 Claims priority, applicationItaly, Nov. 27, 1963, 93/409 4 Claims. (Cl. 23320) The present inventionrelates to a door shutter device for opening the exhaust or dischargebore of the basket of a hydroextractor, effecting also a locking actionon the shaft of the hydroextractor itself.

It is known that for closing the exhaust bore from the baskets of thecentrifugal hydroextractors usually a cone member is used which will beremoved when the centrifuged products are to be discharged.

This system, besides obstructing the inside of the basket, does notallow a uniform loading so that it is necessary to adopt certain devicesfor introducing the product to be centrifuged.

By the system according to this invention, on the contrary, the shutterdoes not internally obstruct the basket, and also its doors form acommon plane with the bottom of the basket; this result during theloading stage is particularly suitable for a uniform distribution of theproduct to be centrifuged.

A main purpose of this invention is that of embodying a locking devicefor the shaft allowing the discharge of the product under conditions ofabsolute safety, since with conventional systems, i.e, with a nonlockedshaft, the scraping hub for the shaft can strike the filter of thebasket and damage it.

By the locking system according to this invention, any movement of thebasket will be, of course, prevented, and any possibility of damage willbe thereby avoided.

This invention will be now described with reference to the attacheddrawings showing a preferred embodiment selected only by way of example.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a hydroextractor with ashutter assembly in its closed position;

FIG. 2 shows the same cross sectional View, but with the shutterassembly in opened position;

FIG. 3 is a partial top plane view of the inside of the basket with thedoors of the shutter assembly located as in FIG. 1.

With reference to the drawings, 1 is the shaft of the hydroextractorwhereon is mounted a basket 2, by means of a spoked hub 3. The basket islocated inside a housing 4 which in its lower portion carries, mountedunder an exhaust cylinder 5, a locking ring for the shaft. This ringconsists of an outer flanged ferrule 6, an inner ring 7 and three ribs8.

The shaft 1 is provided at its lower portion with an extension at theend of which is mounted a piston 16. In the lower portion of the hub 3is mounted a hollow body 11. The main body of the control cylinder forthe shutter 10 glides at its upper part along the hollow body 11 and atits lower portion along the piston 16.

A diaphragm 13 serves the purpose of dividing the shutter body into twocompressed air chambers. A rotary two-way coupling 12 fixed under thepiston, co-axial with the shaft, serves for supplying compressed aireither into the upper chamber or into the lower chamber of the loadingcylinder of the shutter, causing thereby the lowering or the raisingthereof.

Accordingly, by means of a lever 9 the three doors 15 of the shutter arecaused to rotate about their hinges 14 causing the opening or closing ofsaid shutters, the shutters being closed as shown in FIG. 2.

In the lower part of the body of the control cylinder for the shutter, abearing is mounted which, when the shutter is lowered, will seat intothe locking ring, as shown in FIG. 2.

The present invention has been illustrated and described with referenceto one preferred embodiment, it being, however, understood thatconstructive variations may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A shutter device for the discharge opening of a basket of ahydroextractor having a shaft, a hub coupled to the shaft and spokesconnecting the hub with the basket to define a plurality of apertures atsaid discharge opening, said device comprising means for closing theapertures at said discharge opening including a plurality of doors onefor each discharge opening, displaceable cylinder means mounted on saidhub and coupled to the doors for pivotally opening the doors downwardlyas the cylinder means is lowered, a bearing mounted on said cylindermeans and a stationary ring for receiving the bearing when the cylindermeans is lowered to prevent oscillation of the basket and positivelylock the shaft of the basket.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for closing theapertures rotates together with the basket and is provided with an axialreciprocatory movement.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the doors do not obstruct theinside of the basket and define a perfectly planar surface which allowsa uniform loading of the product to be centrifuged.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein by means of the bearingmounted on the cylinder means it is pos sible to avoid the reciprocatoryoscillations of the shaft of the basket during the discharge operationand thereby provide safety if the discharge is effected by means ofscraping devices.

References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,056,505 10/1962 Andersson. 3,061,181 10/1962 Gooch. 3,092,579 6/ 1963 Moretti.

FOREIGN PATENTS 239,168 10/1911 Germany. 760,064 10/ 1956 Great Britain.170,658 3/1960 Sweden.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

H. T. KLINKSIEK, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SHUTTER DEVICE FOR THE DISCHARGE OPENING OF A BASKET OF AHYDROEXTRACTOR HAVING A SHAFT, A HUB COUPLED TO THE SHAFT AND SPOKESCONNECTING THE HUB WITH THE BASKET TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF APERTURES ATSAID DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING MEANS FOR CLOSING THEAPERTURES AT SAID DISCHRAGE OPENING INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF DOORS ONEFOR EACH DISCHARGE OPENING, DISPLACEABLE CYLINDER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAIDHUB AND COUPLED TO THE DOORS FOR PIVOTALLY OPENING THE DOORS DOWNWARDLYAS THE CYLINDER MEANS IS LOWERED, A BEARING MOUNTED ON SAID CYLINDERMEANS AND A STATIONARY RING FOR RECEIVING THE BEARING WHEN THE CYLINDERMEANS IS LOWERED TO PREVENT OSCILLATION OF THE BASKET AND POSITIVELYLOCK THE SHAFT OF THE BASKET.